Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

It's not too bad an analogy. Think of it this way:

- Switching from Firefox to Chrome might be similar to switching between two car models, one consuming less energy than the other.

- Fixing this bug is more like going to a car workshop to fix an injector issue in your car that was causing higher fuel consumption and more pollutants.

The first one is really a matter of tradeoffs and personal choices. The second one is less of a choice and more of an actual issue that was left due to negligence. Hardly similar.




Isn't it more like an auto maker issuing a recall to fix an injector issue in all their cars?


An analogy can only get you so far, but in this case the bug is caused by Microsoft Defender, yet Firefox, the car manufacturer, is a different entity. So I wouldn't call it a recall.


> but in this case the bug is caused by Microsoft Defender, yet Firefox, the car manufacturer, is a different entity.

Quoting the Mozilla engineer responsible for most of the recent activity on the bug:

"This problem has two sides: Microsoft was doing a lot of useless computations upon each event; and we are generating a lot of events. The combination is explosive. Now that Microsoft has done their part of the job, we need to reduce our dependency to VirtualProtect."

It was also noted elsewhere in the thread that similar, though less severe, CPU impact is seen with other antivirus products.

Microsoft was doing something wrong that made this operation more expensive than it needed to be, but Mozilla is also doing this far more than any other browser.


A bunch of cars across many manufacturers were recalled in the 2010's due to a defect in the airbags made by the same manufacturer.

One could also argue that the OS is the car, the browser is the chauffeur, and the user is the passenger.


With regard to browsers, I think we need more manufacturers, not just the GM (Google/Chrome) of browsers. I want Ford in there as well. (Sticking with US automotive companies).


What's wrong with Chrysler?




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: